Mo. senator remains committed to higher ed plan

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri lawmaker says he will try again next year to enact a law setting up a higher education funding formula tied to academic performance.

The state budget due to take effect next week already includes a $25 million funding increase for colleges and universities that is to be distributed based on whether they met performance criteria, such as student retention and graduation rates.

But some legislators have been pursuing a broader performance funding plan that would be placed in state law.

Sen. David Pearce, a Republican from Warrensburg, leads a committee that proposed to base 10 percent of Missouri's higher education funding on how well institutions meet performance goals.

Pearce told the Columbia Missourian (bit.ly/17vZss4 ) he plans to pursue the issue again in the 2014 session.